Watan-The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights has documented recurring incidents of the Israeli occupation army deliberately killing Palestinian civilians by running them over with Israeli tank tracks while they are still alive, and destroying civilian property.
This comes within the framework of the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7th of last year.
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory stated in a report that the occupation army deliberately killed a Palestinian youth by running him over in the “Zaytoun” neighborhood of Gaza City on February 29th of last year.
The Observatory gathered eyewitness testimonies indicating that the army arrested the victim and tied his hands with plastic restraints, interrogated him, then ran him over with an armored vehicle. It appears that the running over was done from the lower and then upper parts of his body.
Eyewitnesses stated that the incident occurred on “Salah al-Din” main street in the Zaytoun neighborhood, preceded by the victim being tied with plastic restraints by Israeli soldiers, then his body was run over from the legs up.
This indicates that the victim was alive while being crushed. The victim was placed on the asphalt instead of the nearby sand to ensure complete and thorough crushing.
The running over occurred before the withdrawal of the occupation army to the outskirts of the “Zaytoun” neighborhood two days ago, as evidenced by the condition of the intestines and limbs that had not yet decomposed at the time of documentation.
Similar incident
According to the report, the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory had previously reported a similar incident involving an Israeli tank running over a temporary shelter caravan in the “Tayyiba Towers” area in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on January 23rd of last year, where members of the “Ghanem” family were sleeping, resulting in the martyrdom of a person and his eldest daughter, and the injury of his three remaining children and his wife.
His daughter, “Amina Ghanem” (13 years old), stated that an Israeli tank repeatedly and without warning ran over the caravan while they were sleeping, leading to the martyrdom of her father and eldest sister, and the survival of the rest of the family. She herself suffered severe pressure in her eyes, which almost caused her to lose her sight.
@trtarabiسحقتهم الدبابة بجنازيرها.. شهادة صادمة من نازحة فلسطينية لتفاصيل ما فعلته دبابات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بالمدنيين خلال توغلها في منطقة المواصي غرب مدينة خان يونس
Crushing displaced persons
On December 16th of last year, the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory documented Israeli tanks and bulldozers crushing and running over displaced persons inside their tents in the courtyard of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, resulting in the martyrdom of several of them, including the wounded, in addition to crushing the bodies of the dead buried in graves on one side of the courtyard.
On February 20th of last year, a Palestinian family narrowly escaped after Israeli tank tracks ran over a tent they were residing in on the beach of Khan Yunis during a surprise operation carried out by the occupation forces.
A citizen reported that she found herself between the tank tracks that suddenly crushed her tent.
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory also documented the repeated destruction of civilian properties by Israeli military vehicles, especially vehicles, during its ground incursions into various areas of the Gaza Strip, where tanks proceeded to destroy and crush vehicles in the streets without any military necessity, reflecting the intention of the occupation army to systematically destroy properties belonging to Palestinian citizens.
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory affirmed that all these violations come in the context of dehumanizing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, thus justifying and normalizing the crimes committed against them.
It pointed out that the act of crushing under tank tracks is one of the brutal methods used by the occupation army to kill Palestinians in the Gaza Strip without regard for their humanity, suffering, or dignity.
According to the report, these practices reflect vengeful intentions by the occupation army against Palestinians as a nationality with the aim of eliminating them, intimidating them, and physically and psychologically harming them. This comes as an implementation of public incitements calling for the annihilation of Palestinians in Gaza, which have been declared by Israeli officials, media figures, and settlers, and as a result of the absolute impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these crimes, who continue to evade punishment without any accountability at any level or from any party.
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory stated that there is no justification for the Israeli army to commit these serious crimes. Even its claim that some of these actions were committed against Palestinian fighters does not absolve it of criminal responsibility, as international law not only protects civilians but also protects fighters who have laid down their weapons or no longer have a means of defense, and considers killing or injuring them a war crime under the Rome Statute.
It emphasized that the widespread destruction caused by the occupation army to properties belonging to Palestinians without any military necessity justifying it, in a reckless manner, also constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute.
The Observatory renewed its call on the international community to immediately fulfill its international obligations to stop the genocide being committed by Israel against all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for nearly five months, and to ensure Israel’s compliance with its international obligations, and with the decision of the International Court of Justice, in parallel with taking all measures to ensure its accountability and prosecution for its crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
Concern about the performance of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory expressed grave concern about the performance of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court regarding what is happening in the Gaza Strip, which constitutes the most dangerous international crimes with destructive consequences for civilians, as the court has not yet taken any action and has not directed any charges in its investigations into the Palestinian situation.
Despite the overwhelming amount of incriminating evidence presented and disclosed by Israeli officials and soldiers themselves, in addition to documentary reports and warnings issued by the United Nations and its experts, international organizations, and the governments of many countries, regarding the crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, the court remains silent.
The last update published by the court on its official website regarding what is happening in Palestine was on November 17th of last year, which raises serious questions and concerns about the independence and integrity of the court, and its ability to perform its duties without politicization or influence by double standards and selective justice.
Demands from the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory called for the announcement of the formation of an independent international investigation committee specifically for the recent military attack on the Gaza Strip, and enabling the independent international investigation committee concerned with the occupied Palestinian territories formed since 2021 to carry out its work, including ensuring its access to the Gaza Strip and opening the necessary investigations into all crimes and violations committed against Palestinians in the sector, including deliberately killing civilians and executing them outside the scope of the law and the judiciary.
The Observatory also called on the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions or arbitrary procedures to conduct a fact-finding visit to the Gaza Strip at the earliest opportunity to investigate the unlawful killings falling within his thematic mandate.